Benomyl Effects on Plant Productivity through Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Restriction in a Greek Upland Grassland

Interactions between plants and microbes are important for plant community structure. Many plants establish symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which play a central role in soil fertility, plant nutrition and the maintenance of stability and biodiversity within plant communities by improving uptake of nutrients and water. AM fungi can improve growth/performance in a variety of plant species by influencing intra- and interspecific competition of neighbouring plants and thus regulate coexistence and diversity in mixed communities. The aim was to study AMF effects on plant productivity and diversity in Greek upland grasslands

Belowground DNA-based techniques: untangling the network of plant root interactions

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Energy budget in organic and conventional olive groves

An energy analysis, combined with an economic one, in conventional and organic olive groves is useful in evaluating present situation and deciding best management strategies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in the energy budget between organic and conventional olive groves in three locations in the island of Thasos and to calculate CO2-emissions based on the used fossil energy. The data were collected through personal interviews with farmers during 2000-2003. Twenty-four farmers, who owned olive groves about I ha each, were randomly selected to participate in this study [(4 conventional and 4 organic) x 3 locations]. The means averaged over all locations for fertilizer application energy was significantly higher in conventional than in organic olive groves, while the opposite occurs for insect trapping energy. Means averaged over the two farming systems for weed control energy were significantly higher in the northeastern part of the island, followed by the northwestern and southern part. The means averaged over all locations for labor and fertilizers energy were significantly higher in conventional than in organic olive groves, while the opposite was observed for tools energy. Means averaged over the two farming systems for labor and tools energy were significantly higher in the northwestern part of the island. Means averaged over the two farming systems for electric and pesticides energy were significantly higher in the northwestern part of the island. Total energy inputs were not affected by any of the studied parameters, while outputs were affected by the location, by the farming system and their interaction. Outputs in the northeastern part of the island and production in all parts of the island were significantly lower in organic than in conventional olive groves. Outputs and production were lower in the southern part of the island than in the other parts, since olive groves in southern Thasos are located in slopes with less productive soils. The results show a clear response of energy inputs to energy outputs that resulted from the farming system and location. Global warming potential and CO2-emissions were not affected by the farming system and location. Organic olive groves tended to have lower CO2-emissions caused by the different uses of fossil energy. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Lca-based environmental performance of olive cultivation in northwestern greece: from rainfed to irrigated through conventional and smart crop management practices

Olive cultivation is expanding rapidly in the northwestern part of Greece, under both rainfed and irrigated practices. Irrigation can result in larger yields and economic returns, but trade-offs in the water–energy–pollution nexus remain a controversial and challenging issue. This study presents an environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Greek olive orchard systems in the plain of Arta (Epirus), comparing rainfed (baseline), Decision Support System (DSS)-based (smart) irrigation practices and farmer experience-based (conventional) irrigation practices. The contributions in this paper are, first, to provide a first quantitative indication of the environmental performance of Greek olive growing systems under different management strategies, and second, to detail the advantages that can be achieved using smart irrigation in olive cultivation in the Greek and Mediterranean contexts. Eighteen midpoints (e.g., climate change, water scarcity, acidification, freshwater eutrophication, etc.), two endpoints (damages on human health and ecosystem quality), and a single score (overall environmental impact) were quantified using the IMPACT World+ life cycle impact assessment method. The LCA model was set up using the OpenLCA software v1.10.3. The functional units were 1 ton of product (mass-based) and 1 ha of cultivated area (area-based) on a cradle-to-farm gate perspective. Irrigated systems had the lowest impacts per mass unit due to higher yields, but showed the highest impacts per cultivated area. The DSS-based irrigation management could reduce water and energy use by 42.1% compared to conventional practices. This is translated into a reduction of 5.3% per 1 ton and 10.4% per 1 ha of the total environmental impact. A sensitivity analysis of impact assessment models demonstrated that the benefits could be up to 18% for 1 ton of product or 22.6% for 1 ha of cultivated land. These results outline that DSS-based irrigation is a promising option to support less resource-intensive and sustainable intensification of irrigated agriculture systems in the plain of Arta. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland